1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lubrication devices or grease guns and particularly to a multiple duty portable pneumatic lubrication device or grease gun which comprises a portable housing having a carrying handle, which housing closes for transporting and opens for use to access a retractable hose having a hand held grease gun comprising a quick change coupler for installing a desired grease fitting on the outer end and a power and grease actuator lever spaced apart from the grease fitting by a length of hose, the hand held grease gun hose reeled out of the housing for use and automatically rewound into the housing for transportation or storage, a mechanical pump or compressor with an electric motor for pumping the grease, a pressure regulator, two or more replaceable or refillable grease cartridges or tubes which are dispensed using a common grease funnel connected to the grease hose wound about a retractable grease hose reel.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Hand-held battery operated grease guns are useful in many situations, especially for those who are not working in a shop, such as traveling vehicle maintenance personnel, farmers, or vehicle owners who wish to lubricate their own vehicles. The portable grease guns available in the market are supplied with a single replaceable and disposable cartridge. A spring biased plunger discharges the grease from the cartridge into an area where a manually operated mechanism will force the grease through a discharge nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,869, issued Oct. 26, 1976 to Bowers, provides a lubrication system including a base with shoulder straps. A motor pressurizes grease received from cylinders having spring urged pistons. The pressurized grease is discharged by a grease gun at the end of a grease hose with a grease gun mounted switch controlling motor operation. The grease cylinders are removably mounted on the base by brackets and straps.
U.S. Patent Application #20060060426, published Mar. 23, 2006 by Chen, claims a lubricant gun which includes a housing, a lubricant reservoir, a plunger, and an exhaust valve. The housing includes a discharge spout, a slide channel fluidly communicated with the discharge spout, a lubricant supply passage having a lubricant supply hole fluidly connected to the slide channel, and a gas-discharging hole fluidly communicated with the slide channel. The lubricant reservoir is connected to the housing and is fluidly communicated with the slide channel through the lubricant supply passage and the lubricant supply hole. The plunger has a pushing portion received in the slide channel for sliding reciprocatingly therein. The exhaust valve is mounted on the housing and is fluidly communicated with the gas-discharging hole.
U.S. Patent Application #20050258005, published Nov. 24, 2005 by Chen, describes a lubricant gun which includes a housing, a lubricant reservoir, a motor, a final driver, an elongate eccentric seat, a guiding shroud, and a plunger. The elongate eccentric seat is mounted within the housing, and has a first portion connected eccentrically to the final driver, and a second portion opposite to the first portion. The guiding shroud is disposed between the elongate eccentric seat and a longitudinal slide channel within the housing, and defines a guide passage aligned longitudinally with the slide channel. The plunger has a guiding portion pivotally mounted to the second portion and slidably received in the guide passage, and a pushing portion received slidably in the slide channel. The guiding portion is guided by the guide passage when the plunger is driven by the elongate eccentric seat to reciprocate the guiding portion and the pushing portion of the plunger.
U.S. Patent Application #20060108180, published May 25, 2006 by Grach, discloses a device for dispensing a viscous fluid, such as a grease gun for dispensing lubricant. The grease gun delivers lubricant with a selectable variation in pressure and/or output. It includes a reservoir, a pump having a reciprocating plunger, an electric motor driving the pump, and a variable speed transmission for transmitting power from the motor to the pump. The transmission has at least two different output speed settings adapted to be selected for reciprocating the plunger at different cyclical frequencies. A cycle indicator provides an indication corresponding to a quantity of lubricant dispensed. Embodiments of the grease gun include a pressure relief valve which inhibits damage due to an over-pressure condition, and a circuit breaker which inhibits damage due to electrical overload.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,967, issued Apr. 11, 1995 to Barry, is for a grease gun extruding device used to provide grease to a fitting. A first and a second piston are reciprocated with respective passageways by an electric motor and act to press grease through the passageways into the fitting. The electric motor rotates a cam and the cam, in turn, moves a drive pin which is connected to the pistons through a piston block to provide the reciprocal motion. Single handed operation of the grease gun is possible after connecting it to the fitting.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,327, issued Oct. 24, 2000 to Post, provides a battery operated grease gun which includes a pump mechanism that employs a speed reducing and torque increasing planetary gearing transmission which rotates a final driver that is a part of the transmission, and a sliding yoke that is reciprocated by the final driver and is coupled to a plunger that dispenses the grease under pressure where the plunger is mounted to the yoke for relative movement therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,348, issued Aug. 2, 2005 to Grach, describes an industrial grease gun pump having a compressed-air-operated reciprocating motor for reciprocating a pump plunger through forward and return strokes. The pump has an outlet connected to a dispensing hose mounted on a reel for delivering fluid to a remote location.
What is needed is a portable multiple duty grease gun which bridges the gap between light and heavy duty grease guns.